NHL players vote 3 worst road cities

[PhillipBlunt]

32 minutes ago, Tre Mac said:

Remember when the Grizzlies were here? "Man I can't get any soulfood here." 

Is that for real? There were at least three southern cooking restaurants in the city when the Grizzlies were here. I'll never understand people who seem incapable of adapting when they move to a different place. The NBA players are seemingly an especially whiny bunch it seems.

32 minutes ago, Tre Mac said:

Or the dude that says he couldn't get Captain Crunch when in fact that cereal was available at every grocery store.

Who said that? What kind of a lazy sack of crap can't get off their duff and go to a grocery store? And why the one cereal that's almost guaranteed to slice the roof of your mouth to ribbons?

[Silky mitts]

Well not surprising , they are all dumps

[RonMexico]

Just now, Jimmy McGill said:

but if we're bering honest, Edmonton is pretty much a big Saskatoon. Which is fine, but to say it has the same level of things to do as say TO, Montreal or Vancouver isn't really true. Doesn't make it a bad place, it may even make it more attractive for many. 

 

But do the people that live in any of those cities actually do the plethora of 'things' that there are allegedly more of to do?

 

Generally speaking, most people who have a family have little time outside of their day to day activities (work, kids, sports/activities, meal/bath/bed) to actually enjoy their surroundings. Basically you only have a few hours after work and the weekends and often times we're tied to household chores, projects, etc. While it's great to have access to more 'things', making the time to enjoy them on a regular basis is daunting. It was only when I was younger and single/dating did I really get to enjoy the city I lived in to its fullest extent. Getting out of the house on a Saturday by 10am with 2 kids under 3 feels like a miracle occurred.

[Tre Mac]

8 minutes ago, PhillipBlunt said:

Is that for real? There were at least three southern cooking restaurants in the city when the Grizzlies were here. I'll never understand people who seem incapable of adapting when they move to a different place. The NBA players are seemingly an especially whiny bunch it seems.

Who said that? What kind of a lazy sack of crap can't get off their duff and go to a grocery store? And why the one cereal that's almost guaranteed to slice the roof of your mouth to ribbons?

Quote

The team’s roster was filled almost entirely with American players and some struggled with the different lifestyle north of the 49th parallel.

While some complained that they couldn’t find ESPN on TV or Cap’n Crunch in the cereal aisle, many others remember the city fondly. 

Jackson: For players, it wasn’t a cultural issue, it was more of a financial and lifestyle issue.

Lynch: It was beautiful when it wasn’t raining.

Mike Bibby, guard (1998-2001): When I was here it rained a lot. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s raining every day.’

Long: I say if I was in Vancouver for 100 days, it rained 80 of those days. But you didn’t notice it, it was still great! People were still walking their babies in strollers in the rain. I got to the point where I would bring my umbrella every time I went out, and said, ‘It’s not worth it.’ I washed my car, even though I knew it was going to rain, I saw people in Stanley Park even though it was raining, you just became oblivious to the rain. It was just a part of the culture and you got used to it.

Hollins: Vancouver was such a great city, different than any city in the US. Cosmopolitan, people from around the world, great restaurants.

George Lynch: The customs was a bit of an issue. We would have to stop in Washington, clear customs, and have to fly into Vancouver. You couldn’t really enjoy Vancouver as a player when you played there, because you were always playing and flying out to another city, and when the season ended, you had to leave. You always felt like you weren’t welcome because of that situation and you couldn’t really embrace Canada.

Mike Bibby: It was kind of scary being a kid and going to another country. I had to grow up real quick. I was 19, just turning 20, moving to another country with my own kids. I was scared in that aspect.

Manning: You had guys worried about OK, is Vancouver going to pay more money, so I cannot make my market value. Every player wants to be paid what they’re worth. If I’m being taxed much more, you’re going to expect to be paid that much more.

Hollins: I remember coming into the press room and every TV in the press room had hockey on. There was not one TV that had an NBA game on. That was weird. There was no ESPN in Canada. TSN showed a lot of curling. For us, it was an adjustment. Where in the U.S. basketball was number 1 when it was in season, now we’re here where hockey is number 1 and other sports like curling are also ahead of basketball.

Jackson: American players were very apprehensive about playing in a place they didn’t know a lot about. Shame on them, shame on Americans that that bias existed.

Long: But that’s just how people were. It was a wonderful experience for me and my family. I don’t think I used public transportation as much as I did when I was in Vancouver. It was a wonderful city, wonderful people.

Croom: A lot of the players were not very sophisticated and had not spent much time outside the US. It was difficult convincing them to come to Vancouver. The one thing I will say I have experienced since those years…is a lot of players miss coming to Vancouver, a lot of players lament the fact there’s not an NBA team in Vancouver. Once people were here for a while, a lot of players really liked it.

Rogers: I had an unbelievable time in Vancouver. It’s funny, about two years ago I was cleaning out an old storage closet at my parent’s house, and I found a Vancouver Canucks hockey jersey that was given to me when I went to one of the games, went to the locker room and met a couple of the guys and I still have one of the jerseys.

I’ll never forget that night–going to the game, going into the locker room, and getting a chance to meet Pavel Bure because I thought he was one heck of a hockey player.

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If there was a bias against playing in Vancouver, then no one felt it more strongly than Steve Francis, the mercurial Maryland guard who the Grizzlies selected second overall in the 1999 NBA draft. Francis refused to sign with the Grizzlies, forcing a trade to the Houston Rockets that would cement Vancouver’s reputation as an NBA backwater.

Jackson: I felt strongly, and still do to this day, that he was the best value on the floor. As a general manager, you’re in charge of stewardship of the franchise for your owner, your goals are to add franchise value to the team. We selected Steve Francis understanding that he didn’t want to be there, he was not the first player that didn’t want to go to the team, but certainly he was very vocal about it, very visible about it.

Bibby: I think Vancouver drafted a point guard three or four years in a row. [Francis] felt he’s a point guard and they just drafted me. He probably thought ‘I don’t want to the play off-guard position.’

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Daniel: As bad as he had been portrayed when he was here, just take that and multiply it by about three.

Jackson: We felt in time he would feel like most people did and fall in love with it. But that didn’t happen, and he was very vocal about it, it became a distraction for the franchise, and ultimately led to his trade.

Long: I never understood how a player who gets drafted in the NBA could say I’m not playing for that team. If I’m a general manager, I don’t want him on any team in the NBA. You’re not going to control my team that way by saying who you’re going to play with.

Griffiths: When we made picks, we made some bad ones. Francis was a terrible waste.

Jackson: As I look back on it, if I had to do it over again, I think I would have held his feet to the fire. We’re not [trading you]. But that’s hindsight, and our vision’s always clearer in hindsight.

1996-1997: 14-68, Average attendance 16,571
1997-1998: 19-63, Average attendance 16,108
1998-1999: 8-42, Average attendance 16,718

Part 5: The long good-bye (1999-2001)

Cannot find exactly who said it but it's been widely reported.  But Stu Jackson, man even if he could redo that Francis pick he'd still do it???  What a moron.

[JM_]

3 minutes ago, RonMexico said:

 

But do the people that live in any of those cities actually do the plethora of 'things' that there are allegedly more of to do?

 

Generally speaking, most people who have a family have little time outside of their day to day activities (work, kids, sports/activities, meal/bath/bed) to actually enjoy their surroundings. Basically you only have a few hours after work and the weekends and often times we're tied to household chores, projects, etc. While it's great to have access to more 'things', making the time to enjoy them on a regular basis is daunting. It was only when I was younger and single/dating did I really get to enjoy the city I lived in to its fullest extent. Getting out of the house on a Saturday by 10am with 2 kids under 3 feels like a miracle occurred.

yeah no kidding, when you've got young ones its tough. But the fact that your time is limited is what makes the things to do here great. And its not all $200 dinners. Even just a free day at Jericho beach is a fun thing to do. 

[Lancaster]

3 hours ago, Drakrami said:

Would rather sign in Russia than Winnipeg, really? 

 

Players on the Jets team look happy enough.

Depends on which KHL city.  

Moscow, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, and Beijing... probably better than Winnipeg.

 

But Nur-Sultan or Novosibirsk?  They sound as legit as Neverland.  

 

 

[PhillipBlunt]

3 minutes ago, Tre Mac said:

Cannot find exactly who said it but it's been widely reported.  But Stu Jackson, man even if he could redo that Francis pick he'd still do it???  What a moron.

Stu Jackson was a smart guy. Some of the players sound like children.

[PhillipBlunt]

39 minutes ago, canucklehead44 said:

I guess in my case since I've never had a serious medical injury and don't know anyone personally who has gotten shot. Employer pays medical insurance.

But outside of that, the $321 per month average on medical insurance is a drop in the bucket compared to the $300,000 downpayment and $5,700 per month mortgage on the average east van home at a much lower salary for the same work

That is a very significant factor. Vancouver is still probably one of, if not the most, overpriced city on the planet. While I'm born and raised here, there is no conceivable way that anyone can justify the cost of housing here, based on what the area offers it's inhabitants.

[Monty]

30 minutes ago, RonMexico said:

 

But do the people that live in any of those cities actually do the plethora of 'things' that there are allegedly more of to do?

 

Generally speaking, most people who have a family have little time outside of their day to day activities (work, kids, sports/activities, meal/bath/bed) to actually enjoy their surroundings. Basically you only have a few hours after work and the weekends and often times we're tied to household chores, projects, etc. While it's great to have access to more 'things', making the time to enjoy them on a regular basis is daunting. It was only when I was younger and single/dating did I really get to enjoy the city I lived in to its fullest extent. Getting out of the house on a Saturday by 10am with 2 kids under 3 feels like a miracle occurred.

Sums up my life.

[RUPERTKBD]

1 hour ago, Gnarcore said:

Ever been? North Carolina is pretty nice actually. Edmonton, Winnipeg (in winter) and Buffalo are absolute $&!# holes. 

Raleigh? No. But I think the key here is "Winter". Unfortunately, hockey is played during the winter, so places that are cold are always going to get  the bad rap. From what I see, it's small cold cities that are the lowest rated....

 

....and in other news, grass is green....

[RUPERTKBD]

1 hour ago, canucklehead44 said:

It's weird that as a country Canada is perceived as a better play to live than the US but when you look at actually living - cities, wages, weather, cost of living every Canadian city is pretty awful. I've got to do extensive travel throughout the US and the cities are so much more liveable and many are quite charming in terms of architecture/layout. My American colleagues also seem significantly happier - the Canadians are all miserable because our wages our lower, cost of living is higher, and the weather sucks everywhere. Any advice on getting a green card?

Write a book about how much China sucks....

 

.....not only will that get you a Green card, it will get you a spot in the Trump administration....

[the grinder]

1 hour ago, Tre Mac said:

 

Remember when the Grizzlies were here? "Man I can't get any soulfood here."  Or the dude that says he couldn't get Captain Crunch when in fact that cereal was available at every grocery store.

lol back in the day it was in the middle of winter , went out to a club with some friends  , standing outside after closing a few of grizzlies  came up to me  and were asking where did I get my coat from ( im 6 foot 7 ) because they didn't know where to get big and tall clothes in Vancouver . long story short  I ended up selling my jacket for 400 bucks to one of them . poor guy was shivering away  

[Where's Wellwood]

Was the KHL an option? Or was that a write in vote?

[canucklehead44]

1 hour ago, Jimmy McGill said:

you might want to look up the cost of health insurance and private school first. 

I did haha

 

 

[SabreFan1]

Shocker... The usual biggest complaint about Buffalo.  It's cold and snowy during the winter.  Second complaint would be I imagine, nothing much for them to do for the one single day that they're here.  The Buffalo area is set up to live in, not really set up to visit.  I know where to go to enjoy myself because I live here.

 

Funny though how many former players have ended up staying here after they retire.  Although I'm curious and should check and see, how many have stayed here after their playing days after the NHL began having sun-belt teams.

 

For years I used to tell people that overall hockey players were tougher than NFL players.  I stopped doing that a while back.  NHL players have become relatively soft and pretty whiny compared to their predecessors. 

 

I wonder if it's a generation thing or if it's due to the changes made in the game.  Some of the excellent players of today would have gotten crushed in the 70's-early 00's.  The game changed as did the players.

[Alflives]

It's pretty obvious the cities listed a hell holes that players hate are crappy.  Why do so many Canadians, who can afford it, come to our region to retire?  It's because the other cities in Canada are buried in snow and ice in the winter, and blanketed in black clouds of bugs in the summer.  We live easy and comfortable lives here.  It's easy to get around by car pretty much every day.  And you can step out of your car and not freeze or be eaten alive.  Most other cities in Canada people are trapped, by their environment, indoors. 

Look at how we are hated (envied) by all the other Canadian cities' residents!  Hell we have a friggin' flower count in February!  Ha Ha Ha!!!!

I loved this article as it supports my belief that the Canucks get the shaft every year by the eastern bias, because they a are jealous of where we live.   

[PhillipBlunt]

Just now, Alflives said:

It's pretty obvious the cities listed a hell holes that players hate are crappy.  Why do so many Canadians, who can afford it, come to our region to retire?  It's because the other cities in Canada are buried in snow and ice in the winter, and blanketed in black clouds of bugs in the summer.  We live easy and comfortable lives here.  It's easy to get around by car pretty much every day.  And you can step out of your car and not freeze or be eaten alive.  Most other cities in Canada people are trapped, by their environment, indoors. 

Look at how we are hated (envied) by all the other Canadian cities' residents!  Hell we have a friggin' flower count in February!  Ha Ha Ha!!!!

I loved this article as it supports my belief that the Canucks get the shaft every year by the eastern bias, because they a are jealous of where we live.   

Canadians are eaten alive in BC too.

[canucklehead44]

4 minutes ago, Alflives said:

It's pretty obvious the cities listed a hell holes that players hate are crappy.  Why do so many Canadians, who can afford it, come to our region to retire?  It's because the other cities in Canada are buried in snow and ice in the winter, and blanketed in black clouds of bugs in the summer.  We live easy and comfortable lives here.  It's easy to get around by car pretty much every day.  And you can step out of your car and not freeze or be eaten alive.  Most other cities in Canada people are trapped, by their environment, indoors. 

Look at how we are hated (envied) by all the other Canadian cities' residents!  Hell we have a friggin' flower count in February!  Ha Ha Ha!!!!

I loved this article as it supports my belief that the Canucks get the shaft every year by the eastern bias, because they a are jealous of where we live.   

The irony is that in the US Seattle is at the butt end of "bad weather" jokes. Seattle is on average 1.6 degrees warmer, gets 20% less rain and has 209 hours more per year of sunlight. The only two cities I can really live in are Toronto or Vancouver (in terms of finding work/not hating my life in winter) which may explain why both places are so insanely over price. Less options. 

[Alflives]

Just now, canucklehead44 said:

The irony is that in the US Seattle is at the butt end of "bad weather" jokes. Seattle is on average 1.6 degrees warmer, gets 20% less rain and has 209 hours more per year of sunlight. The only two cities I can really live in are Toronto or Vancouver (in terms of finding work/not hating my life in winter) which may explain why both places are so insanely over price. Less options. 

Excellent point.  Places that are expensive to live are that for a reason.  Everyone wants to live there!  Winnipeg, Edmonton, and most Canadian cities is dirt cheap because no one (honestly) wants to live there.  They do so because of work/family/housing affordability.  However, if given opportunity they would come here.   

[fecklund]

Buffalo is the US version of Winnipeg. 
It's depressing. And yes, Winnipeg isn't exactly the cleanest city... not to mention consistently ranked as one of the most (or the most) violent cities in Canada.

Not a coiler fan but it sucks to see Edmonton up there. Up until all the new "multi-use" buildings started popping up, Vancouver and Edmonton were known league wide as having the best ice in the NHL. 

With expansion into the southern states in recent times, it's really not surprising that players aren't fond of hitting some road show where it's -30 (or worse) with a windchill - on the tail end of a road trip that saw them through Florida and Tampa Bay. I mean, you're going from a sandy warm paradise, to a dark, frozen %$#@hole, lol